1. Field of the Invention
Applicant's invention relates to athletic equipment, and more particularly to equipment and accessories useful in training of ring-related sports, such as martial arts.
2. Background Information
While boxing has its traditional "rings" with its ropes, etc., those persons in martial arts training have a need for similar, but distinctly different equipment to aid in their training efforts.
Martial arts training is often done in groups of varying sizes. In addition, many widely varying activities are involved in martial arts training, which activities dictate flexibility in training area layout.
A defined area in which martial arts students train and practice is highly desirable for certain phases of training. This, in turn, might suggest use of a traditional boxing ring. There are, however, significant problems with use of any form of the traditional boxing ring for martial arts practitioners and businesses.
One problem is expense. The three available forms of boxing rings are quite expensive, either directly or indirectly. Pre-fabricated boxing rings must be built on site and costs several thousands of dollars. Another version, also quite expensive, is a portable, trailer-borne structure which is often used for traveling boxing exhibitions. The third version is a training version which is built at a training facility and involves four floor-mounted posts with the intervening ropes. This last version is usually the least expensive of the three boxing ring types, but is indirectly expensive in that it irreversibly occupies often costly floor space which cannot then be effectively used for other activities. As already mentioned, martial arts training involves a wider variety of training activities, and involves more people per unit training time, than boxing, and therefore requires space not bounded or occupied by a boxing ring support posts and ropes. The cost of leasing sufficient floor space both for a dedicated boxing ring area and for other activities which ideally occur outside of a ring-like area is prohibitive for the many thousands of small, one-owner martial arts studios.
Even if expense were not an issue, boxing rings in the presently known form have only limited utility for martial arts practitioners. The ropes of standard boxing rings are not resilient enough to support leg stretching exercises which are an integral part of any martial arts training or warm-up. Also, the fixed, closed layout of boxing rings inherently rule out alternative layouts, such as a U-shaped configuration as would be desirable for certain exhibition work in martial arts, or perhaps a triangular layout which would be more fitting for certain spaces in which a boxing ring would not fit.
Certainly, martial arts practitioners who do use a ring-like structure for exhibitions, matches, etc. must, in order to have a boxing ring available, incur the substantial expense of renting a facility already having a boxing ring, or lease a portable unit at substantial expense.